turner



(No Model.) 3 ShetsSheet 1.

E. H. TURNER.

PERMANENT SALVAGE DEVICE FOR PROTECTING GOODS 0N DISPLAY GOUNTERS, &c.

N0. 544,871. )Patented Aug. 20, 1895.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2. V

E. H. TURNER.

PERMANENT SALVAGE DEVICE FOR PROTECTING GOODS ON DISPLAY COUNTERS, &c.

No. 544,871. E937 Patented Aug. 20, 1895.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet- 3.

v E. H. TURNER. PERMANENT SALVAGE DEVICE FOR PROTECTING GOODS ON' DISPLAY COUNTERS, &c.

No. 544,871. my Paten'ped Aug. 20; 1895. A

:NITED STAT S 1 EDWARD H. TURNER,

PATENT OEEicE.

OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR TO JOHN s. KEARNEY, oEsAME PLACE.

PERMANENT SALVAGE DEVICE FOR PROTECTING GOODS ON DISPLAY-COUNTERS, 8L0.

sPEcr rcArrIoN forming part of Letters Patent No. 544,871, dated Atgua 20, 1895.

Application filed June 24,1895. Serial No. 553,816. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD H. TURNER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of I-Iennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Permanent Salvage Devices for Protecting Goods on Display- Counters, Shelving, &c.; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention,such as Will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to provide a permanent salvage device for protecting goods on display-counters, shelving, 850., from injury by water at times of fire or otherwise. It is a fact well known that in the large cities with well organized fire departments the injury to goods 'and'th'e resulting loss therefrom on account of water is greater than from the direct action of the fire. Fires are frequently stopped on single stories of a building; but at the same time the large quantity of water required therefor will often flood all the lower stories of a building, thereby occasioning great loss in case the said lower floors happen to be occupied by a class of goods which can be damaged by water. A few of the best-equipped cities are provided with salvage-corps aspart of the fire department; but by far the greater number of eventhe large cities and pretty much all the smaller ones are Without "any such salvage-corps. Even where salvage-corps are provided they can seldom reach the building as quickly as desirable for the purpose of spreading the tarpaulins in time to save as many goods as might otherwise be done. Moreover, even supposing the salvage-corps to be on hand with sufficient promptitude,- the looselyspread tarpaulins lying on top of the goods do'not afiord perfect protection, for the reason that the shedding-surfaces will not be regular or on a sufiicient incline, but, on the contrary, will follow all the depressions of the irregular contour of the stack of goods, thereby forrning pits or pools, which ofttimes directthe water directly into the goods instead of shedding the same therefrom. AT vivid 5o idea of the loss from water on account of the posing an ordinarydisplay-counter to be cccupied with fine cloths or silks ranging from three to five dollars a yard. As a bolt usually contains fifty yards and an ordinary display-counter would have, in a jobbing house, several hundred bolts, it will be seen at once that on a single counter there might easily be twenty-five or thirty thousand dollars worth of goods. In a large jobbing house there would be hundreds of such counters. If the values or the quantities be less, the same principle will hold in proportion.

My invention has for its object to render such vwholesale destruction by water impossible or improbable. To this end, generally stated, I provide an overhead support having attached thereto a body or bodies of flexible waterproof material, which may be instantly extended to cover the goods on the counters or on the shelving and form an inclined surface adapted to catch and shed the water onto the floor without permitting the same to come in contact with the goods.

Other details of the construction will appear in the following description.

The novel features of my device will be defined in the claims.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which like letters refer to like parts.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing one form of my device as itmight appear when not in use, but ready for instant application.

upon the alarm of fire or at night as a security in case of possible fire. Fig. 2 shows the same device as applied to protect the goods on the counter with the end section of the flexible cover unextended'. Fig. 3 is a detail in perspective showing some of. the same parts as in Fig. 1 with a part of the overhead support broken away and some parts removed.

Fig. 4. is a detail showing side view of one end of the counter and an end view of one of the end covers. Fig. 5 is a view 'in side eletion showing a modified form of the device, wherein the side and end covers are constructed integral with each other and as adapted to overlap and button together at the ends of the counter. Fig. 6 is an end view of the device shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a cross-section of the salvage device shown in Figs. 5 and 6. Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing one form of device as ready for application to protect goods on a display-counter and another form as ready for application to protect goods on the side-wall shelving or on the shelving and a closely-adjacent counter. Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing the same parts as in Fig. 8 with the covers in .their extended position, with the exception of one of the end sections. Fig. 10 is a detail in perspective showing the overhead support for the shelving-cover shown in Figs. 8 and 9. Fig. 11 is a detail with some parts broken away, showing the overhead support for the counter-covers shown in Figs. 8 and 9.

Referring first to the construction shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, a a 0. represent, respectively, the floor, the side wall, and the ceiling, respectively, of a store or wareroom.

b represents a display-counter containing dry goods I).

0 represents an overhead support for the counter-covers c. The said covers 0 are mounted, preferably, on spring-rollers 0 which are suitably journaled in the end pieces of the support 0. The support 0, as shown in said Figs. 1, 2, and 3, is held with freedom for vertical adjustment by-cords, ropes, or other flexible connections 0 made fast to the said support and passing over suitable guidesheaves 0 attached to the ceiling, and thence to a fastening device 0 (shown as on one of the side walls a,) about which fastening device the free ends of the flexible connections may be wound or looped to secure the overhead support a in any desired adjustment.

The bodies of the covers 0' are composed of suitable waterproof flexible material, preferably rubber or waterproof cloth, but which may be made of sheet-steel or other metal, if

so desired. The lower ends or margins of the covers 0 are provided with eyes 0 or other suitable devices, for co-operation with hooks b or other suitable devices on the side margins of the counters, to hold the covers down in their extended positions, as shown in Fig. 2.

The arrangement above noted, so far as described, provides suitable side covers, but would leave the ends of the counters exposed. To shield the ends I provide, in the form shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, aud t, an end cover f, which 'is mounted, preferably, on a suitable spring-roller f j ournaled in brackets f fixed underneath the ends of the counter 19. To the free ends of the covers fare attached cords f which extend upward through guide rings or eyes f fixed to the end pieces of the overhead supports 0. Hence, by the cords f 3 the end covers may be extended upward until the free ends thereof form a junction with the support 0, and the cord f may then be made fast to any suitable support, as f to hold the end cover in its extended position. The side covers a and the end covers f will then, when the support a is in its lowermost or working position,as shown in Fig. 2, co-

Referring now to the form of the device shown in Figs. 5, 6, and 7, the covers are formed with side portions h and end portions 77. in-

tegral with each other and adapted when extended to form a complete shield for the counter. To secure this result, the overhead support 0 and the covers it h are of a greater length than the counter b, and the covers are so mounted on their rollers c that they wrap from the inside outward, as best shown in Fig. 7. The difference between the length of the covers it h and the counter b is sufficient to provide for the flap or fold section it of the covers. l-Ience'these fold-sections h, folding on the dotted line shown at h in Fig. 5, may be brought together, overlapped, and buttoned, as shown in Fig. 6. For this purpose the end sections h of one of the covers is provided with suitable loops h and the end sections of the other cover have suitable co-operating buttons or hooks h. The other parts are the same as in the other views.

The form of device shown in Figs. 5, 6, and 7, in so far as the covers are concerned, affords a somewhat-more perfect shield than is afforded by the form shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. Referring to the form shown in Figs. 8 to 11, inclusive, the salvage device shown as in position to protect the goods on the principal or central display-counter has an overhead support and covers similar to the form shown in Figs. 1 to 4, but is upheld in a constant position by rigid brackets 9 but, in addition to the said form of salvage device for the central display-counters, there is shown in said views, Figs. 8 to 11, an additional form of device adapted to protect goods on the shelving alone, or on the shelving and an immediately adjacent side counter or showcase. The shelving 7c is shown as fixed in the usual Way to one of the side walls a of the store-room. A show-case counter n is shown as located directly in front of the shelving 7c. Directly over the top of the shelving la is mounted a suitable support 1) for holding the cover 19', which would be of the same material as the other covers hereinbefore noted. The cover 19 is mounted preferably on a spring-rollerpi which is journaled in the support p. The support 19 is of a form to constitute a projecting cap with inclined top projecting outward over the top section of the shelving 70. Hence the cover 10 may be drawn down and secured to the outer edge of the show-case counter n, as illustrated at the left in Fig. 9, or it may be drawn directly down in front of theshelving, but behind the counter, and be made fast to the lower or foot section of the shelving in IIO any suitable way. Hence the cover 10 will serve to form a complete shield to the shelving 75 when so desired, or may be made to serve as a top shield or cover for shedding the water away from the shelving and the show-casecounter. The support 19 is provided at its cope with a packing-strip p of rubber or other suituable material, for forming a tight joint with the side wall, so as to prevent the water fromruuning down the wall and entering the shelving from behind. For greater security the said support p might be set into the wall in an obvious manner.

It must be obvious that in all the forms described the construction of my salvage device is simple and of small cost. It does not interfere with the ordinary handling of the goods during business hours. It is always ready for instantaneous application to protect the goods. The direct saving therefrom in protecting the goods from water, in case of actual fire, which was not a complete burn-out, would be great, and the indirect saving in decreasing the risk and lessening the insurance rates would many times repay the cost of the equipment.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

1. The combination, for preventing water damage to goods on counters, shelving, &c., in case of fire, comprising water-proof flexible covers and permanent supports therefor normally holding said covers out of the way and adapted to sustain said covers over said goods in a water shedding position, when extended, substantially as described.

2. The combination for preventing Water damage to goods, on counters and shelving in case of fire, comprising a support elevated above the counter or shelviu g and water-proof flexible covers, normally upheld by said support, out of the way, but extensible therefrom to cover and form a water shed over the goods, substantially as described.

3. The combination for preventing water damage to goods, on counters, shelving &c., of a support elevated above the counter or shelving and water-proof flexible covers mounted on rollers journaled in said elevated support, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD I-I. TURNER. Witnesses:

JOHN S. KEARNEY, J AS. F. WILLIAMSON. 

